5/2/85
The honorable Graham Berry, M.L.A.,
Chief Secretary.
Sir.
I have the honor to solicit, that the second supplement to the Census of Australian plants,1 which by your kind permission has been printed, may be forwarded to the same recipients, who through the Office of the hon. the Premier and that of the public Library lately received in litterary interchanges the 10th Decade of the Eucalyptography.2
I have the honor to be,
Sir, your obedient servant
Ferd. von Mueller. 3
On 12 February 1885 the Under Secretary, T. Wilson, forwarded M's letter to the Secretary to the Premier, E. Thomas, for the Premier's approval and added: 'I beg to suggest that authority be given for future supplements to be similarly presented without requiring an annual application for special approval.' Thomas replied on 16 February: 'It is perceived that the Government Botanist does not, in his comm[unicatio]n, refer to the distribution of the first Supplement as a precedent but to that of the 10th decade of the Eucalyptography — Is it desired that the latter be adopted as regards the distribution of the Second Supplement?' Thomas's query was referred to M on 17 February and M replied on 19 February: 'The first supplement of the Census was sent out for convenience's sake with the 9. Decade of the Eucalyptogr. but the 10th of that work was forwarded abroad (in 1884) before the second suppl. of the Census was issued (in 1885). it would certainly simplify the sending of future supplements, which can never exceed half a sheet annually, if copies were regularly by a standing order forwarded to the recipients of the Eucalyptography, whenever a new supplement has appeared.' M's response was forwarded to Thomas and the Premier, J. Service, minuted his approval on 25 February. Thomas then made arrangements for the distribution of the work with the Government Printer and Public Librarian, and on 9 March informed the Chief Secretary's Office of the arrangements that had been made.
On the same date, the Premier's Department wrote to the Chief Secretary, authorizing the distribution of 'the second and future issues of the supplement in question … to those Societies and persons who received the 10th Decade of Eucalyptographia' (D85/2646, unit 190, VPRS 3992/P inward registered correspondence, VA 475 Chief Secretary's Department, PROV). The letter was forwarded to M for information on 11 March, and he returned the file 'with best thanks' the following day.
See also M to E. Thomas, 8 June 1885 (in this edition as 85-06-08a).
Please cite as “FVM-85-02-05,” in Correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller, edited by R.W. Home, Thomas A. Darragh, A.M. Lucas, Sara Maroske, D.M. Sinkora†, J.H. Voigt† and Monika Wells accessed on 27 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/85-02-05